Ethiopia’s national carrier Ethiopian Airlines has announced its
plans to begin flights from Dublin to Addis Ababa and Los Angeles from
summer 2015. The government recently signed a deal that will allow it to
make a stopover at Dublin to allow passengers to board the flight on
the way to Los Angeles from the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian Airlines, which is currently the biggest airline in Africa,
said that it will operate the Addis Ababa-Dublin-Los Angeles route round
the year starting from next summer. The airline also said that it will
start selling the tickets for travel on this route soon.

Media reports said that the announcement of the new service was expected
for quite some time now. However, it came to be known in July that the
Ethiopian government has finally signed an agreement with the Department
of Transport granting right to the airline to start flying into Dublin.

Dublin Airport Authority officials have expressed happiness and welcomed
the launch of new service. The officials said that Dublin Airport will
now get two new year-round services because of this.

Kevin Toland, Chief Executive of Dublin Airport Authority, in a
statement said that Dublin’s position will be further strengthened as a
hub for transatlantic flights with the launch of the new route.

Toland said that with Ethiopian Airlines entry into Ireland it will
become easier to reconnect Dublin to Los Angeles and thereby also make
African destinations greatly accessible as well. He said that the
airline currently has largest number of destinations in Africa on its
flight network.

The air passengers are habitual to hopping on a shuttle bus after
deboarding the flight. But, if a Cadillac is waiting on the tarmac to
drop them at the departure gate, it is indeed a welcome sight. American
Airlines has collaborated with the luxury car company, Cadillac to
shuttle the first class passengers from the tarmac to their next
departure gate or to the next airplane at Los Angeles International
Airport.

This service is exclusively available for ConciergeKey invitation-only
members. ConciergeKey is an invite-only frequent flier club. This
ConciergeKey program invitation is available to the Executive Platinum
members with an annual flight expenditure of 50,000 dollars or more.

Delta Airlines also uses Porsche to shuttle its premium passengers
between flights since 2012 while United Airlines uses Mercedes-Benz for
the private transfers since 2013.

Suzanne Rubin, president of American’s AAdvantage Loyalty Program sees
this as a great opportunity to offer the ultimate luxury experience for
the premium customers. The airline will chauffeur the customers from the
tarmac in a Cadillac SRX, CTS or Escalade. The luxury transfer program
with Cadillac is only accessible at Los Angeles International Airport
(LAX) as of now.

The airline plans to expand the service at John F. Kennedy, Dallas/Fort
Worth and La Guardia in New York by year end. This plan is yet to be
approved. The American’s AAdvantage members can also earn 7500
additional miles after test driving Cadillac at a local dealer. These
miles are equivalent to half of the domestic flight cost for one-way.

Surprised that the table tray on your seat is broken or the carrier
did not offer any amenity kit. Although, many air passenger carriers end
up disappointing the passenger, there are a few airlines that are still
pleasing the travelers with extra advantages to offer a unique flying
experience. Some of them like Turkish Airline offer standard sweets
regardless of your position in the plane while others offer exclusive
perks for premium passengers like aromatherapy on ANA. Check out the 5
airlines that offer those little goodies and extras for a memorable
flying experience.

Turkish Airlines: Turkish Delights and Candlelit Meals
All the passengers on Intercontinental flights are offered Turkish
Delights along with Turkish coffee. The premium class passengers enjoy
candlelit meals with electric candles glowing inside little lamps. They
cast a soft light on the meals making it a romantic experience.

Emirates: Toys for little onesEmirates Airlines has a lot to offer for the little ones. "Fly with Me
Monsters" collection offered by Emirates includes magnetic sketching
toys, seat-belt critters and blanket buddies draped in soft fleece
blankets. Children can also opt for any of the four monstrous
characters—Camus, Wagga, Tezz and Jimbob.

Singapore Airlines: Learning apps and 3D gamesSingapore Airlines offers a range of multiplayer games and 3D video
games. A Berlitz Word Traveler language-understanding tool can help the
customers improve their language skills. A b-Smart Culture Quest app can
help customers explore neighborhood traditions or use Soundview
Executive Book Summaries for listening to business journals.

ANA: Aromatherapy cards
Deep breathing and fresh aroma enhances your flight experience. All
Nippon Airways (ANA) offers two aromatherapy cards to first class and
organization class passengers. They can inhale the fragrance or put the
cards in the pocket for a long lasting scent. The "Relax" card helps you
sleep better with its lavender blend, whereas the "Refresh" card gets
rid of the end of flight fatigue.

Hawaiian Airlines: Island specialties
The Hawaiian indulgence begins as soon as you board the flight. The
flights that depart just before 10 am offer free Mai Tais on North
America to Hawaii routes. The passengers also get to try Koloa Beach rum
punch, guava cookies, passion fruit-orange-guava juice and AlohaMacs
chocolate. Hawaiian specialties including coconut cookies, regional
popcorn and toffee-coated macadamia nuts are available for purchase.

These days Fort Lauderdale International Airport and Miami
International Airport are quite busy as both of them are adding new
routes and airlines. Here’s a brief glimpse on what all is happening at
the two airports presently.

Ecuador’s airline TAME recently started daily flights between Fort
Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and its capital city Quito
starting from October 17, 2014. The airline is operating flights on the
route with the help of a 140-seat Airbus A320 aircraft. This will be the
airline’s first ever nonstop flights between Ecuador and Fort
Lauderdale.

American Airlines has decided to begin flights from Miami International
Airport to four cities in the United States. The airline will be
launching new flights to Salt Lake City, Kansas City, San Antonio and
Austin from Miami starting from March 5, 2015. The flights on these new
routes will be operated utilizing a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines has announced it will be introducing
flights to four U.S. cities from Miami in December this year. The
airline stated that it will begin flight operations to four cities
within the U.S., which includes Chicago, Denver, New York and
Philadelphia. It will begin Miami-Philadelphia service from December 20,
2014. The airline also indicated that it will begin twice daily flights
to New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The airline will be connecting Denver
and Miami with 10 flights every week. The daily flights to Chicago’s
O’Hare International Airport from Miami will be operational from
December 21. Frontier Airlines will now become the first domestic
low-fare operator to begin flights from Miami since 2012.

A recent poll published its results outlining that JetBlue Airways is
the best airline in the United States to offer most comfortable coach
seats to its customers. Alaska Airlines also fared well in this regard.
However, major legacy carriers were left behind in the race failing to
keep pace with the low-cost carrier like JetBlue Airways.

According to the poll conducted by a prominent U.S.-based travel
research website, 21 percent of the respondents responded favorably
about JetBlue Airways. The poll asked the respondents to vote for the
domestic airline which offered most comfortable seats in the economy
class.

The poll indicated that that JetBlue Airways with 21 percent votes was
ranked as the best carrier to offer most comfortable coach class seats.
Among other airlines who made it to the top four included Alaska
Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines. The report said that
Alaska Airlines emerged second with 17 percent, Hawaiian Airlines was
third with 14 percent votes, and Frontier Airlines was placed in the
fourth position with 13 percent votes. A travel expert giving his
opinion on the poll said that the legroom matters the most and even 1 or
2 inches are enough to make a difference.

JetBlue Airways is renowned for providing more legroom in its economy
class to the customers than any other domestic carrier in the United
States currently. The airline offers a seat pitch of 33 inches. However,
other carriers provide only 31 inches of seat pitch on their Boeing 737
aircrafts. Spirit Airlines offers a seat pitch of only 28 inches.

British Airways has come up with a new idea to keep its long-haul
customers entertained while taking their in-flight meals. This is
nothing but innovation at its best!

UK’s national carrier British Airways will start offering its customers
an entirely new flying experience. Come November, and the airline will
start providing a curated musical playlist matching specific dishes
aimed at keeping the passengers entertained while enjoying their meals
onboard their aircrafts. According to the airline, the soundtrack will
work wonders and even enhance the flavors of the meals.

British Airways came up with the new idea after considering a study by
Oxford University which outlined that the taste perception can be
influenced by music. The study further said that music can also make
food up to 10 percent more salty or sweet. The study also indicated that
during a flight the passenger’s sense of taste diminishes by 30
percent.

Keeping in view the importance of study and its relation to in-flight
meals, British Airways hired the services of a leading chef named Mark
Tazzioli. He played a crucial role in concocting a meal that could be
greatly enjoyed by a passenger onboard the aircraft while listening to
music from a special playlist.

According to British Airways, the special menu has been named
“SoundBite”. It will be accompanied by 13 tracks on the airline’s “Rock
and Pop” audio channel and would be available to the passengers on
long-haul flights. The British dishes can be enjoyed while listening to
Lily Allen’s “Only We Know”. Similarly, famous song "Scream (Funk My
Life Up)” by Scottish singer Paolo Nutini can be enjoyed while savoring
the Scottish salmon hors d'oeuvre.

Qantas Airways has indicated that it will be introducing new benefits
for its frequent flyer program members belonging to the most elite
tier. The airline has acknowledged them for their outstanding loyalty
and decided to reward them. The airline’s move is also simultaneously
aimed at encouraging those frequent flyer program members possessing
lower loyalty card status to consider booking more flights in future in
order to be at the top-tier level.

A spokesperson of the airline in a statement said that the spouse or de
facto partner of its Platinum One members would be provided a
complimentary Platinum membership. Among various other benefits to be
provided to Platinum One members include earning double points in
Qantas-operated restaurants, free membership in Qantas Golf Club, free
phone bookings, and switching to an earlier domestic flight without
paying any charges whatsoever.

According to Qantas Airways, the members of the airline’s most elite
tier belonging to the invitation-only Chairman’s Lounge include
celebrities, politicians and corporate leaders. However, the Platinum
One members are currently in fewer numbers when compared to the elite
tier members. The Platinum One membership is open to all members of the
public who fly frequently, especially in the premium classes.

Lesley Grant, Chief Executive of Qantas Loyalty, said that the airline
strongly feels that there is a paramount need to ensure that the
frequent flyer program remains quite attractive and people be given more
incentives for upgrading to a higher tier. Grant said that the current
changes are being implemented after receiving feedback from the Platinum
One members.

Qatar Airways was recently presented with the “Best Middle East
Airline” at the recently-concluded 2014 Business Traveller Asia Pacific
Awards conducted at Hong Kong. The airline won the award for the fifth
time consecutively. Prominent aviation and travel industry professionals
attended the gala award ceremony.

The Doha-based 5-star airline is presently operating a total of 38
flights every week to mainland China and Hong Kong, both of which it
considered as most valued markets on its network.

The Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards is presented annually and is
currently in its 23rd year. The awards are given in above 50 categories.

Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive, said that the
airline is extremely proud to be once again a recipient of Best Middle
East Airline award for the fifth consecutive time. He said that it is a
matter of great privilege that the airline has been consistently
recognized for its efforts in providing enhanced travel experience and
five-star service to its customers.

Meanwhile, Qatar Airways also emerged a winner by bagging the “Best
Business Class Airline” award at a recently-held ceremony in London
during the presentation of the Business Traveller Awards 2014. The
airline won the prestigious title for the second consecutive year. Apart
from this, the airline also made it to the finals in various other
categories as well. These include ‘Best Cabin Staff’, ‘Best Middle East
Airline’, ‘Best Economy Class’, ‘Best Long-haul Airline’, and ‘Best
Airline’.

Earlier, the airline was also given the “Best Business Class Airline” by
Skytrax during the Farnborough Air Show held in July this year.

Business travelers know only one thing. It’s only WORK for them
whether on the ground or in the air. For business travelers connectivity
matters particularly when they are above 30,000 feet in the sky on
their flights. It’s important for them to keep connected and fulfill
their official chores of writing emails, answering SMS, doing research
or setting up last minute meetings. And, the crucial role of in-flight
Wi-Fi here comes into real play!

Gogo, a leading in-flight Wi-Fi service provider on U.S. carriers admits
that Wi-Fi is crucial in air, but its uptake is only among 6 percent
customers who prefer using the service whenever it is available. This is
particularly true with some business travelers, particularly workaholic
type, who are loyal users and swear by in-flight Wi-Fi.

Considering the importance of in-flight Wi-Fi, there are many U.S.
carriers who have already adopted the service or are in the process of
adopting it for the benefit of their customers. Major U.S. carriers such
as American Airlines, US Airways, Virgin America, JetBlue Airways,
Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are already providing Gogo
in-flight Wi-Fi to their respective customers.

Both American Airlines and US Airways, who have now merged to form
American Airlines Group, have installed Wi-Fi on 832 out of 984
aircrafts in their fleet. Some 15 of these Wi-Fi enabled aircrafts are
presently serving on international routes. Virgin America is the pioneer
among domestic carriers in the United States to have equipped its fleet
with in-flight Wi-Fi. It was the first and continues to be the only
U.S. carrier to offer Wi-Fi connectivity on all its domestic routes.
Southwest Airlines has made 80 percent of its fleet Wi-Fi capable. The
airline’s Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800 series aircrafts in its
fleet have been made fully Wi-Fi capable.

In-flight Dining is a quintessential expression of the services that
airlines provide to tempt the travelers. From entrées to main course
meals and desserts, the airlines ensure that the guests enjoy the food
served during the air journey. The chewy, crumbly and soft indulgence
that is a freshly baked cookie baked on board is something anyone would
love to relish. This sweet assortment satisfies your sweet tooth and
drinking milk is incomplete without it.

Sometimes, it is all you need to get your journey started or get rid
of the grogginess upon arrival, but chomping such tidbits during flights
these days can be rarely seen owing to the cutbacks and mergers.

Most of the airlines including Frontier Airlines have stopped serving
cookies after 2012. Don't give up hope yet! There are still few
airlines that ensure you do not miss the sweet bites even at 10,000
feet.

American Airlines

American Airlines is known to have introduced the baked on-board
cookies. AA bakes different varieties of cookies on 1,000 to 1,298
miles flights. The guests get to try white chocolate macadamia nut
cookies, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin, oatmeal cranberry,
nutty butter and other varieties.

United Airlines

United Airlines competes fiercely for Baking as it does for routes.
The carrier hired Chicago-based Poppie's Dough to bake the melt-in-mouth
chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter and cinnamon cookies on flights
between 900 and 2,299 miles. The carrier serves them in branded to-go
wax bags.Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia serves Spotted Cow
cookies complimentary on some flights and on sale in most of the economy
flights. The "udderly delicious" gluten free cookies are also available
across Hudson’s coffee shops. The passengers can enjoy a wide variety
of baked on-board cookies including fruit mince spice, cranberry, triple
chocolate fudge, white chocolate and macadamia, chocolate and salted
caramel, choc chunk, Anzacs and spotted cookies.